Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of State for political affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she saw the announcement by the government of Poland.
She said it wasn't pre-consulted with them that they would give the planes to us.
Nuland said that it was a surprise move by the Poles.
Poland offered to send all of its fighter jets for free to the U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany.
Warsaw requested the United States to provide them with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to establish the conditions of purchase.
Poland called on NATO allies to act in the same way.
A Pentagon official said that they have nothing to offer at this time, while the U.S. European Command declined to comment.
Russia invaded late last month, and Ukraine has suffered heavy losses. Since it would mean less training for Ukrainian pilots, top Ukrainian officials asked other countries that operate the jet to transfer their jets.
The Polish government would sidestep the logistical challenge of getting the jets over the border by transferring them to American custody.
The Polish air force has focused more on its growing F-16 fleet, along with its 32 inbound F-35s, the first of which will arrive in 2024, despite the fact that the Polish MiGs were upgraded with new equipment to increase their lifespan. Some of the new technologies on the MiGs would have to be pulled out before they could be transferred to the Ukrainians.
A senior Defense Department official told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday that neither the Ukrainians nor the Russians own the sky over the country.
The official said that the Ukrainians are still able to fly and conduct missile defense.
The saga over the planes began just days after Russia invaded Ukraine, when European Union security chief Josep Borrell said Poland, along with other Eastern European countries that still fly Russian fighter planes, had agreed to quickly transfer the jets to Ukrainian pilots.
That wasn't the case. Borrell said it was up to individual nations to decide, and the Polish President rejected the deal.
The possible transfer was still being discussed by U.S. officials over the weekend. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on CNN that the US was working with Poland to supply the Ukrainians with the MiG-29s.
Poland won't send its fighter jets to #Ukraine as well as allow to use its airports, according to a government office. We help in many other areas.
Poland would most likely get F-16s in return for giving up its jets.
Slovakia and Bulgaria rejected the idea of transferring their aircraft last week.
Slovakia has a small fleet of fighter jets, but the government is concerned about losing its air power if an agreement is not reached with Poland.
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